This invention relates to high density connectors for terminating ribbon cable and, in particular, to a ribbon cable terminating connector housing that cooperates with a terminating cover to provide strain relief to a ribbon cable terminated thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,507 discloses a strain relief wherein off-set structure on the connector housing and terminating cover provide strain relief to conductors terminated therein. Fluting on the inside cover of such a prior art device would be ineffective to align the conductors of a ribbon cable terminated therein to the insulation displacement contacts as the raised structure along the major edges of the cover would prevent the cable from engaging fluting on the recessed inner surface of the cover until after the insulation displacement termination process has begun. Furthermore, the ribbon cable would be bending at the time insulation displacement termination would be starting.
Prior art ribbon cable connectors for terminating ribbon cable, such as in a daisy chain configuration, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,434,093; 4,062,616; 4,068,912; 4,160,574; 4,190,952; 4,410,229; 4,621,885; 4,668,039; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,533. These connectors typically provide strain relief such that forces acting on the ribbon cable are not transmitted to and do not stress the insulation displacement electrical connection by clamping the ribbon cable between a flat or fluted surface on the terminating cover and the conductor receiving face from which insulation piercing contacts extend. Typically, the clamping is achieved within the profile of the mating face of the connector so as to minimize the width of the connector.
As ribbon cable conductor centerline spacing is decreased, ribbon cable becomes more fragile and it becomes more desirable to provide strain relief at a location spaced from the insulation displacement terminations. This is particularly important when it is recognized that connectors terminated to a ribbon cable are often unmated from a complementary connector by pulling on the ribbon cable.
It would be desirable to have a ribbon cable terminating connector in which the ribbon cable could be accurately aligned with the conductor receiving slots of insulation piercing terminals prior to termination thereto and be provided with strain relief at a distance spaced from the insulation piercing contacts subsequent to termination.